Johanna Brandt: Die Vierde Visioen

THE FOURTH VISION

SOUTH AFRICA

Again I woke from a short slumber to find the Messenger beside
me as before, but with a new note of warning in his voice.

"Awake!" he cried, “ Arouse thyself! The time is short, and I have
yet one vision to unfold before thy eyes - See - See -the near future
of South Africa. Be strong, be brave, summon all thy courage now,
for it is not to torment and rack thee in this hour but to prepare thee
for the task which has been laid upon thee, that thou shalt be asked to
gaze upon this awful scene”

A groan of agony and horror burst from my lips rallying my
sinking physical forces, I sat up straight, the better to take in the
details of that dread vision and gasped, "Spare, spare
South Africa!" Unable longer to support the ordeal, I closed my
horror-stricken eyes in the vain endeavour to shut out that scene, in
vain - in vain.

The length and breadth of our beloved land seemed to be swept by
a tornado of resistless fury - a veritable hurricane of passionate and
relentless wrath. Crashing peals of thunder rent the heavens, while the
angry lightnings flashed and blazed. The very earth seemed to shake
and tremble. Devastation, blood and ruin everywhere, while
human beings fled and were scattered in all directions like leaves
before a blast. Strange and terrible and wholly unexpected was the
scene, but brief in duration, amazingly brief when compared with the
power and fury South Africa, and to sweep away as suddenly as it had come.
Who it was I do not remember, but someone crept in silently, tender
hands wiped the death-sweat from my brow.

Another heart attack,’I murmured faintly. " Leave me now, I want
to sleep" and turning to the Messenger, I pleaded passionately, "Spare, spare, South Africa!"
"Dost thou fear now, oh, thou fearless one? And dost thou indeed
think that in thy land alone there is no darkness to overcome?
Dost thou not understand that if South Africa could be spared from
the process of purification, she can have no share in the coming glory?
Wouldst thou save South Africa the pain and deprive her of the joy?
Nay, the scene, which thou hast witnessed, is unavoidable; the
disasters have been brought about by hatred, violence, injustice,
jealousy; the storm is but the resistless outburst of long-fostered
animosities, of systematic defamations, of purposely-instilled
suspicions, of criminal persecutions; of hypocrisy, oppression and
deceit.

As men sow, so shall they reap, and in South Africa more than in
any other land men have bowed the knee to the god of gold and have
cherished feelings of covetousness on one side and revenge on the
other through many years in a hundred thousand hearts the
soil has been prepared for the inevitable storm of retribution.
Fear not! Thou hast seen that the hurricane was of brief duration,
which mercy depends largely on thy faithfulness. Thou hast been
called to draw a living picture of this scene, to prepare the people for
the approaching storm and to make an appeal to South Africa from
North to South, from East to West, to sink all personal and political
differences in an endeavour to stem the coming tide of woe.

Verily I say unto thee, according to the power of thy appeal and
according to the response, which it will have from the people of this
country, the doom, which cannot be averted, will be mitigated.
This is the purpose of thy life. Take heed, take heed that thou fulfil
it faithfully"

Re: Johanna Brandt: Die Vierde Visioen

The length and breadth of our beloved land seemed to be swept by
a tornado of resistless fury - a veritable hurricane of passionate and
relentless wrath. Crashing peals of thunder rent the heavens, while the
angry lightnings flashed and blazed. The very earth seemed to shake
and tremble. Devastation, blood and ruin everywhere, while
human beings fled and were scattered in all directions like leaves
before a blast. Strange and terrible and wholly unexpected was the
scene, but brief in duration, amazingly brief when compared with the
power and fury South Africa, and to sweep away as suddenly as it had come.